Mining machine



C. R. HUGHES MINING MACHINE Sept. 27, 1932.

Filed Apfil 18, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet Sept. 27, 1932.

C. R. HUGHES MINING MACHINE Filed April 18-, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 27, 1 932. c R HUGHES LSBQQLQ MINING MACHINE Filed April 18, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 b m. w w mm 0 MW Q 0 mm wm ,1 M m HE] Q 8 \mm J .fiw mw H R an E 1% mm WV 0 m mm m 0% mm 3 NW m d 0 O b h w/lfi f mm 7 +1 QNI. M Bm y 1 1 $.N\|\ YR 0 mm mam I 6 r wm NM. & %m \m J N wmfim mm 5? kA/rg %/v 2 2x94 3 Sept. 27, 1932. Q HUGHES 1,889,090

MINING MACHINE Filed April 18, 1 931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Sept. 27, 1932 W 'ijs STATjEg This invention relatesto mining machines and is designed more especially as an improvement upon the structure disclosed in my Patent 1,? 41,714 dated December 31, 1929, 5 although it is to be understood that the improvements can be combined with other forms of mining machines. 7

It is an object of the :mvention to provide a novel form of propelling means for a machine of this character whereby, as the cutting mechanism operates to tear down :the coal or other material in the path thereof, the machine will be fed forwardly gradually and at correct speed by means of automatic mechanism.

' A further object is to provide propelling mechanism which is simple, compact and efficient and will not readily get out of order.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in :the com= bination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafteridescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise.embodhnentofthe invent-ion herein disclosed, may :be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention;

In the accompanying drawings, the preferred forms of the invention have been shown.

- In said drawings:

Figure 1 1s a plan new of a miningv machine equipped with the present IlIIlIJl'OVG- ments.

Figure 2 is a sideelevation thereof.

- Figure '3 is a horizontal section on an .enlarged scale through a portionfof the ma.- chine showing the present improvements, Figure 4 is a section through the hydraulic jack constituting a part of the apparatus, said section being taken substantially on the line 44, Figure 3. g

Figure 5 is a view partly in plan and partly insection showing the controlling valve and I adjacent parts.

Figure 6 is a section on line-6- 6, Figurefi. Figure 7 is a long tudinal sectlon through the casing of shown.

Lanai CHARLES t. HUGHES, or, ALrooN rnnnsrrvenie inn e Machine Application filed April 18, 1931. Serial liTo. 531,207.

of jack.

vation.

jack.

shown in Figure 10.

Referring to the figures by reference, 1 designates theframe of a min- Figure 8 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation showing a modified form Figure is a view similar to Figure .8 SllOWlIlgftIlQtllGI modified construction of the Figure 11 is a section through the jack characters of ing machine on which endless cutter chains 2 e valve, adjacent parts being and 3102111 be movably mounted for making horizontal and vertical cuts respectively, itbeing understood that the particular construction and operation of these partsconstitute no part of the present invention. The i cutting mechanism is actuated bya motor 4 which, if desired, can vbe coupled by gears 5 and 6to a shifta-ble clutch member 7 adapted to be moved into .andout of engagement with another clutch member 8. This latter clutch member is secured on the shaft 9 of a worm 10 and the worm is in constant mesh with a gear 11 secured to the shaft 12 of a drum 13. A cable, not shown, can be attached to this drum and when the drum is coupled .to the gears '5 and 6 it can be used for picking-up the cable and feeding the machine forwardly or in any direction desired. A handling drum has been vdisclosed in my patent .heretofore' mentioned and this drum may ormay not be used, according to theconditions under 8 which the present machine is being used.

Along the rear portion of one side of the machine structure there is provided a track 14 consisting of parallel superposed rails which engage and guide a cross head 15. 'T he rails lap the adj acentedges of the cross head andhold the cross head properly assembled with the frame of the mach-ine at the same time permitting it to slide longitudinally alongthe rails in eitherdirec'tion.

Thelcross head 15 is located at -the Jbody -16 of-a jack and, as shownin Figures 1, 3 and 5,:this body has a lateral shoelor runner 17 adapted to bear laterally against a ioo 24 which opens into a longitudinal bore 25' formed in a piston rod 26.. This rod extends from a piston 27 slidable in a cylinder '28 which is arranged fixedly "at any suitable point on the frame of the machine. The bore 25 opens through the piston into the cylinder.

Arranged at any suitable point adjacent to the cylinder 28 is a valve casing 29. This casing, and the valve 30 mounted thereon, can be of any desired construction. In Figure 7 one form of casing and valve has been illustrated in detail. In the illustrated structure the casing has a supply pipe 31 opening thereinto and communicating with spaced inlet ports 32 and 33. Outlet ports 34 and 35 are provided in the-heads of the-casing 29 and areadapted to be closed by valves 36 and 37 the stems 38 of which project in opposite directions from the casing. These ports 34 and 35 communicate with an outlet chamber 39 in the valve casing from which extends an outlet pipe 40. r

7 other outlet chamber 41 is formed in the casing at one side of the chamber 39 and has an outlet pipe 42, while an inlet chamber 43 is formed in the casing and has an inlet pipe 44 opening thereinto. By-passes 45 can connect the ports 32 and 33 with the end portions of the valve casing as shown.

Valve 30 is of the reciprocating spool type and is so proportioned and shaped as to operate in the manner hereinafter explained.

Pipe 42 opens into one end of cylinder 28 and pipe 44 opens into the other end of said cylinder. A pump 46 of any desired construction has the pipe 31 extended to its outlet while pipe 40 extends to the inlet of the pump. The pump can be operated by any mechanism desired. For example the shaft 47 which drives the chains 2 may have a gear 48 secured to it receiving motion from a gear 49 on shaft 50 of motor 4. Another gear5l can rotate with this shaft, this gear driving a gear 52 secured to aQshaft 53. Gears 54 or the like are driven by shaft 53 and are connected in any desired manner to the pump.

Slidably mounted adjacent to the side of cylinder 28 is a'rod 55 provided with spaced tappets 56 and. 57 which extend between levers 58 and 59lapping thestems 38 of the respective valves 36 and 37 To the rod 55 isconnected an-arm 60 having alplunger 61 secured to it and slidable in one'head of cylinder 28. This plunger is located in the back of both the: body 16 and'piston 27. Thus when the piston 27 approaches one extreme position, as shown in Figure 3, it will come against and shift plunger 61 so as to move rod 55 to the left in Figure 3. This causes tappet 57 to actuate lever 59 and open valve 36. l/Vhen the piston 27 approaches its other extreme position the body 16 will strike against plunger 61 and push rod 55 to the right. This will cause tappet 56 to strike lever 58 and open valve 37. i 1

During the operation of the cutting mechanism the pump 46 will be actuated and this will set up a constant circulation of oil or other fluid use-d in the operation of the propelling mechanism constituting the present invention. Assuming that the jack is in its rearmost position, as shown in Figures 3 and ,5, the fluid circulatedbythe pump will flow from port 32 around valve 30 to chamber 41 and pipe 42 and back of piston 27.. Thus the piston will be. moved quickly to the right because at the same time the fluid in the path of the piston'will be free to return tothe pump by way of pipes 44 and 40. When the piston 27 reaches its extreme right position the plunger 61 will be engaged and shifted by the body 16, thereby moving rod 55 and causing tappet 56 to shift lever 58 and open valve 37. This relieves pressure from in front ofvalve 30. When the'piston 27 comes to a stand and further flow of fluid through pipe 42 is stopped, the pressure built up within the casing 29 will be suflicient to shift the valve to its other extreme position,thereby establishing communicationbetween the port 33 and pipe 44 or, in other words, reversing the locating of the valve from the position illustrated in Figure 7. As soon as fluid under pressure from the pump is directed to the pipe 44, it'will build up a pressure back of piston 27, a portion of the fluid flowing through bore 25 into chamber 33 and shifting the pistons 19'and '20 upwardly and downwardly respectively until the heads 21 and 22 bear tightly against the ceiling and floor of the passage. When the pistons 19 and 20 can no longer move under the pressure of the fluid therebetween, a further pressure of fluid from the pump will cause the-cylinder 28 to move forwardly relative to piston 27 inasmuch as'said piston will .be tightly anchored by the hydraulic jack.

The forward movement of the cylinder causes a corresponding forward movement of the machine with the result that the cutting elements willbe gradually forced in the Wall of material in the path thereof. Asthe machine continues to advance the plunger-6l will ultimately be thrust against piston 27 shown in Figure 7 whereupon the operation I already described will be repeated.

I It is to be understood that each time piston 27 is forced to the right from the position shown in Figure 3, pressure is relieved from between pistons 19 and 20 so that the head 21 of the hydraulic jack will drop out of engagement with the ceiling of the passage while downward pressure on the flow through the head 22 will be relieved to such an extent that said head can be drawn readily over the floor to its new position.

Through the automatic reciprocation of the jack by piston 27 the machine will be fed forwardly intermittently, the forward movement under the action of the fiuid operated by the pump having the effect of pressing the cutting elements forcibly but yieldingly against the surface being cut. The operation of the pump can be so proportioned relative to the action of the cutter as to insure forward feeding of the machine at the most efiective speed.

Instead of utilizing a hydraulic jack such as heretofore described, jacks acting on the toggle principle might be used. In Figure 8 has been shown a jack including a body 62 in which are slidably .mounted upper and lower plungers 63 and 64: each of which carries a head 65 at its outer end. The inner ends of the plungers are connected by toggle links 66 to the rod 67 of piston 68. This piston is actuated in the same manner as piston 27, the initial thrust of the piston in one direction serving to transmit pressures through the toggle links against plungers 63 and 64 to bind the heads of the jack against the ceiling and fioor, while the initial thrust of the piston in the opposite direction serves to relieve the heads 65 from the thrusting action of the toggle so that the jack can thus he slid forwardly along the track 69, which is engaged by cross head 70 on which the body 62 is mounted.

Instead of using short toggle links as shown in Figure 8, long links 71 can be connected to the piston rod 72 and to the heads 7 3. Where this arrangement is provided the plungers 74 can be cut away as shown in Figure 11 so as to allow the links to work between them and the walls of the body 7 5 in which they are mounted to reciprocate. In other respects this form of ack is similar to the one previously described.

It will be noted that all of the jacks operate to frictionally engage opposed surfaces of a passageway when pressure is applied to one side of the operating piston from the pump after which the machine'is fed forwardly to cut into the material in the path thereof. When pressure is applied to the other face of the piston the jack is released from its gripping engagement with the op posed walls and is quickly reset in an advanced position.

While it is preferred to make the jack so as to engage the ceiling and floor it is to be understood that under some conditions it might be possible to locate it where it can engage the side walls of the passage.

movably engaged -:-by said track structure,

and fluid operated means for successively expanding and collapsing the jack to anchor and release it, for advancing the structure and track relativeto the expanded jack, and for-advancing the! collapsed jack along the track.

2. The combination with a structure movably mounted, of an expansible jack-including a toggle, and fluid operated means on said structure for successively actuating the toggle to expand the jack against opposed fixed surfaces and thrust against the jack to advance the structure.

.3. The combination with a structure movably mounted and a guide thereon fixed against movement relative thereto, of a cross head slidably engaging the guide, a ack carried by the cross head, fluid operated means mounted on the structure for successively actuating the jack to engage opposed fixed surfaces and thrust against the jack to advance the structure and the guide relative to the cross head and jack, and a shoe movable with the jack and cross head for transmitting lateral thrust from the jack to an adjacent fixed surface.

4. The combination with a structure movably mounted and a guide fixed thereon, of a cross head slidably engaging the guide, a jack mounted for sliding movement on the cross head, fluid operated means on said structure for successively expanding the jack into engagement with opposed fixed surfaces and shifting the structure and guides relative to the cross head and jack, and thereafter successively collapsing the jack and advancing it and its cross head along the guide, and a shoe movable with the jack and cross head for transmitting thrust transversely of the cross head against an adj acentfixed surface.

5. The combination with a structure movably mounted and a guide thereon, of a member slidably. engaging the guide, a jack carried by the member and including a toggle, and fluid operated means mounted on the structure for successively actuating the toggle to extend the jack into engagement with opposed fixed surfaces and thrusting against the jack to advance the structure and the guide relative to the member and jack, said means including fluid forcing means, a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder connected to the member, and a valve interposed between the forcing means and the cylinder for reversing the direction of flow of fluid to the cylinder.

6. The combinationwith a structure movably mounted, of a jack, a motor driven pump on said structure for forcing'fluid, a guide fixed to the structure, means" on said structure operated by fluid from the pum for successively anchoring the jack an thrusting 'thereagainst to advance the structure and guide, and means operated by said 'fillld operated means for reversing the action of the fluid to collapse the jack'and advance it along said guide.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have-hereto aflixed my signature.

CHARLES R. HUGHES. 

